Kathleen Supové at Other Minds Festival, San Francisco

Major Who has had the great fortune to work closely with pianist Kathleen Supové for many years in both live and studio settings. This proximity has given us the chance to gain an inspiringly close view of Kathy's mastery. After many years I am still amazed by her grace, power and technique, so often playing works of astounding difficulty that only Ms. Supové can pull off with style and ease. It's hard to describe her solo performances, often mixed with elements of theater, wild rants and performance art.

Which is why it comes as no surprise that she was reviewed so favorably yesterday in the Financial Times by Allan Ulrich. The review was for performances of Morton Subotnick's 'For The Piano' and Dan Becker's 'Revolution' at the Other Minds Festival in San Francisco.

Supové keeps popping up in all the right places. It's a thrill to see her get the recognition that she deserves. Contemporary and experimental music has often been a lonely path with only a few devoted fans showing up at the gigs. Now however, new technology is allowing this contemporary music community to come together and to grow rapidly in ways that weren't possible even a few short years ago. Artists and audiences are interacting in ways they never have before. Groups such as Ethel and artists like Corey Dargel and Stephen Merritt are changing the musical landscape and selling out concert venues without much outside assistance. This in many ways mirrors what's happening in the rock and pop world. The very same trends that are pushing independent art music are also driving the current revolution in popular music. And the lines between these genres continue to blur. I have a sense we'll see greater things happening in the next year musically and artistically.

Exciting musical and technological times!

Download Kathleen Supove's 'Infusion' Album from iTunes.
And while you're at it, download Molly Thompson's 'Ash' from iTunes. You'll like that one too. If you are who I think you are.